Children with congenital heart defects are amongst those set to benefit from new technology designed to improve diagnoses and treatment planning thanks to investment announced by Economy Secretary Keith Brown.
Scottish Enterprise has awarded Edinburgh based Canon Medical’s European Research and Development Centre £1.9m towards developing its new £6.6m life sciences software. The technology will give medical staff a single ‘cockpit’ view, quickly pinpointing and collating key patient information from a variety of medical sources to better inform treatment decisions.
Initially the software will be used by medical staff treating congenital heart defects in children with the potential for it to be developed to support treatment for a wider range of medical conditions in future, including cardiovascular, stroke and oncology patients. The funding will also create 10 new jobs and protect 16 existing posts on the project.
Economy Secretary Mr Brown said: “Developments in life science technologies are hugely welcome in terms of both improving patient care and treatment and growing our economy, as well as further establishing Scotland as a centre of excellence in this important sector.
“Our aspiration is for Scotland to continue to lead innovations in life sciences and our Programme for Government saw business Research & Development grants boosted by 70%.
“Scottish Enterprise has worked with Canon Medical over the last 13 years to help achieve its growth ambitions and I look forward to seeing this collaboration continue to flourish and the company expanding its global business here in Scotland.”
Ken Sutherland, President of Canon Medical Research Europe, said: “Scotland is a fantastic location for us to innovate as we have access to top talent, universities and research collaborators, together with the strong support of the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise. We’re actively recruiting staff now to work on this project and hope to continue harnessing the excellent international graduate talent from Scottish universities.
“This project comes at a pivotal moment for us, allowing us to evolve into a healthcare data and AI research and development business. This £6.6m project also underlines the confidence our Japanese parent company has in further investing in our Scottish activity.”
Rhona Allison, Interim Managing Director at Scottish Enterprise, said: “Business innovation is critical to the success of our economy. Innovation is a key driver of growth and companies that innovate are more productive, do more international trade and employ more people.
“Giving our backing to this Research & Development project means we can help Canon Medical maximise its investment, cement its activity in Scotland and further increase Scotland’s reputation as a global hub for life sciences and medical technology excellence. I wish Canon Medical every success with this project and look forward to continuing to work with Ken and his team to grow the company further in Scotland.”
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